Central African Republic vs Kenya
Central African Republic is 7% larger than Kenya.
Central African RepublicKenyaCentral African Republic moved onto Kenya · Equal-area projection
1.07×
Central African Republic is 1.07× the area of Kenya.
 Central African Republic |  Kenya | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCentral African Republic: 1.07× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 581,309 km²#48 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationKenya: 10.4× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 57,532,493#26 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityKenya: 11.2× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 99 / km²#90 of 194 |
| Urban populationCentral African Republic: 1.39× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.88× the births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 3.17 per woman#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 1.44 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +1.93%#50 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.71× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 27.0 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.31× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 12.4 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 36.3%#45 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Kenya: 0.8 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationKenya: 2.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 532× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 0.23 per 1,000#96 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyKenya: 6.1 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.72× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 34.2 per 1,000 births#37 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsKenya: 4.14× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 0.29 per 1,000#138 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexKenya: 0.214 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKenya: 3.93× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $2,200#146 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPKenya: 44.3× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $135.94B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Kenya: 5.34× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $7,016#141 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthKenya: 0.1 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationKenya: 3.1 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCentral African Republic: 1.17× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 1.57× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 45.5%#13 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Central African Republic: 4.5 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 20.3 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 45.8% of jobs#28 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCentral African Republic: 0.9 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 12.5% of jobs#150 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesKenya: 21.2 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 41.7% of jobs#143 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCentral African Republic: 0.6 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCentral African Republic: 3.5 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 2.18× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#108 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersKenya: 2.54× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 35%#158 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsKenya: 3.23× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 5.41× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personKenya: 6.33× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 0.38 t a year#155 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 23.2 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 67.7%#30 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityKenya: 58.8 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 77.0%#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Central African Republic: 1.64× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 20.3 µg/m³#79 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCentral African Republic: 0.9 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landKenya: 8.6 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 11.5% of land#87 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressKenya: 111× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 33.2%#50 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 2.13× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 630 mm#125 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityKenya: 0.57 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.12#168 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionKenya: 0.46 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.86#145 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCentral African Republic: 4.1× the homicide rate | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 | 4.9 per 100,000#49 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Bangui | Nairobi |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | English, Swahili |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +236 | +254 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Central African Republic sits at about 7° N and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Kenya at 1° N is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Central African Republic bigger than Kenya?
- Yes. Central African Republic is 7% larger than Kenya. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and Kenya covers 581,309 km².
- How many times does Kenya fit into Central African Republic?
- About 1.1 times: Central African Republic has 1.07× the area of Kenya.
- Why do Central African Republic and Kenya look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Central African Republic is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Kenya about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Central African Republic or Kenya?
- Kenya: 57,532,493 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², Kenya 99 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or Kenya?
- By gross national income per person, Kenya: $2,200 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.93× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or Kenya?
- In Kenya: life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years, against 57.7 — 6.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and Kenya have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).